This is the first part of a new series entitled: YHWH.

(Exodus 03:4-8a, 10-11, 13-16) When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground... I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God... "I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt... Go, for I am sending you...” But Moses protested to God, “...Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” God answered, “I will be with you..." But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel... they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “I am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you... Yahweh, the God of your ancestors... has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations... I have been watching closely, and I see how the Egyptians are treating you.

Purpose of this series:

Why it matters:

Why should you care:

YHWH.

Part One: God is Holy.

(Isaiah 6:1-9a) It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke. Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” And he said, “Yes, go.

What does it mean to be Holy?

Holiness is a term with many uses throughout the Bible, referring to a characteristic of God. However, the main purpose of this word is to describe that God is altogether "different" than anything else. This would mean He is set apart or set above all others as sacred and special. When we are called to be "holy as He is holy," this literally means to be set apart and sacred.

Here are a few verses that show the different ways the word holy is used:

(Hebrews 12:14) Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

(2 Corinthians 7:1) Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

(1 Peter 2:9) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

(1 Peter 1:15-16) But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

(1 Samuel 2:2) There is none holy like the Lord; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.

(Romans 12:1) I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

In order to get our minds around the complex of God's utter "otherness," there would need to be entire books written about it. One I would recommend is a book called "The Holiness of God" by RC Sproul.

What is the GREAT NEWS of God's Holiness from Isaiah 6?

(Verse 1-2) He calms us by REIGNING unshaken.

The Bible says that in the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah had a vision of God on His Throne. This is significant because:

Uzziah had reigned for over 52 years! This is likely the only king most of the people had ever known. They were about to go through a major transition. The kingdom had experienced many great advancements for most of Uzziah's reign. The amount of uncertainty must have been terrible. However, the vision God gave Isaiah was of Yahweh seated and unbothered on His eternal throne. This reminds us that God is not bothered by current events. He is not looking on and worried about what is coming next. This can calm our hearts.

(Verse 3-4) He helps us FIND BEAUTY in difficulty.

The angels were singing and worshiping God in the middle of the difficult transition happening. This reminds us.

In the Bible, repetition was used to emphasize that something was important. To say something twice was intended to get the reader's attention. To say something three times was to literally be shouting off the page. They are saying, "Pay attention to how utterly above and holy God is, not on what's happening everywhere else. Focus on Him, not the storm."
We can see the Lord and the beauty of His holiness in the midst of the ugly circumstances we sometimes face.

(Verse 5-7) He shows us THE MIRACLE of salvation.

Seeing all of this led Isaiah to confront His own sin. It is just like when you think you have white teeth and then put on white face paint. You realize you have "off-white" teeth compared to something that is truly white. This is a comparison to the glory of God. When we see how truly holy and perfect He is, it should cause us to feel ashamed to ever think of ourselves as holy or superior to anything else. However, this verse teaches us:

The realization of sin caused Isaiah to cry out. He was immediately met with mercy. The purpose of revealing our sin is not to shame us but to show us the path to true freedom. If we ever take our salvation for granted, we should stop and think about who we would be without the Lord.

(Verse 8-9a) He gives us a God-centered CONFIDENCE.

Isaiah has come full circle. He began this vision seeing how big God is, realized how "not big" he was, and has now been given the opportunity to speak on behalf of God.

God did not force Isaiah to do this. Isaiah volunteered. We can be so overwhelmed by the goodness of God that we begin to speak for God as satisfied customers rather than salesmen.
We become confident in God's ability to take care of all things because He is above and set apart from all things.

(Isaiah 29:23) For when they SEE... they will recognize the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob. They will STAND IN AWE of the God of Israel.